Mycoflora, aflatoxins and free fatty acids in California cottonseed during 1967–1968

In central California, neither fungal infections nor aflatoxins are significant problems in cottonseed during the receiving and storage seasons. However, in southern California, the 1967 harvest contained a relatively high percentage of seed which were invaded before harvest by fungi, including Aspergillus flavus . Seed infection and concentrations of aflatoxins in seed increased significantly during the time between harvest and storage in southern California. For a short time during storage, seed infection by A. flavus increased because of the moisture the seed received late in the season; however, aflatoxin concentrations in seed did not increase in storage. The aflatoxin content of the seed removed from storage was a reflection of the relative amount of aflatoxins the seed contained when they were received for storage. In 1967, the conditions that existed in the large, densely packed seed pile did not favor accummulation of aflatoxins in seed, even though A. flavus was active.